The Phoenix
by xKaminix
Summary: Enter a girl with an extraordinary power. Add an amazing guild and unbreakable bonds, and what do you get? A fantastic story. Here you will read about magic fights, friendships, and a love story. Enjoy! I don't own anything of Fairy Tail, just my own OC. Rated M for possible future action ;)
1. The Girl and the Fox

Hi everyone! It's the start of a new story. How exciting is that? I just had this idea come to me and I had to write it down. I'm on summer holidays so hopefully I will be able to post more often.

As for the story anything in _italics _means that it is an inner thought of whatever the character is thinking.

Please review, leave comments, CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is allowed. Just don't outwardly bash my story. I like it and I hope you will too!

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**Chapter One: ****_The Girl and the Fox_**

The crickets sounded in the background as I was baking in the hot sun. I had been wandering aimlessly in the forest for a while looking for food. So far, no luck. I sat in the shade of a tall tree. I fell down on my back and rested my forearm on my head and I stared into the seamingly endless blue sky. I wonder where I am right now? Years have gone by. I have no place to call home, but there was no reason to have one. Since losing my mom there was no point in settling down anywhere. I sighed, I am so hungry. Suddenly I hear a noise to my right. I turned my head and I was face to face with the cutest eyes that I knew. My dear little fire fox Miki had returned after looking for food. Miki had deep golden eyes and red fur with ears and a tail that were alight with fire. _Mmmmm looks tasty_, I thought to myself. _No, no_ I shook my head. _He hates it when I ask for his fire._

"Hey Miki, did you manage to find any grub?" I asked with high hopes. The cute little red fox shook his head and said,

"Sorry, nothing in these woods other than pesky squirrels and mushrooms, and I know how much you hate mushrooms." Miki said. I even shuddered he mentioned mushrooms, oh how I hate them.

"Well if there's is nothing here I guess we should move on to someplace else or we're going to starve to death." I sighed and propped myself on my elbows surveying my surrounding. Just as I was about to get up, I heard a sound to my right and saw a girl trip on a tree root and fall flat on her face with her arms out in front of her, and made a "kyaa" noise as she fell. It was actually quite a hilarious fall if you weren't the one falling. I got up and walked towards her since she hadn't made any motion of getting up. _ I wonder if she's alright? _

I kneeled down beside her, "Are you alright?", I asked while poking her with a stick. She still remained motionless. I sighed and heaved her onto her back so she wouldn't suffocate to death with her face in the dirt. I flipped her over and checked her to make sure she didn't have any other wounds. _Seems like she just knocked herself out. _

"Hey, is the girl alright?" Miki asked curiously looking at her stepping onto the girld stomach and looking closely at her face.

"Yeah I think so. She just bonked her head." As I was looking at her I noticed her hip and saw the numerous keys she was wearing._ A Celestial Mage, how cool._ I looked her over noticing her blue and white outfit, beautiful blonde hair and quite the large chest. Now where are you from?

I continued to check her over for anything that might give me a clue as to where she was from. I noticed on her right hand she had a pink looking emblem on it. _This must be a guild stamp. _

"Hey Miki, have you seen this design before?" Miki came over and had a look.

"Oh ya, I've seen this before in one of the magic magazines. The guild is called Fairy Tail."

"She can't be far from home, seeing as she doesn't have any extra things. Do you know where Fairy tail is."

"I thinks in a town called Magnolia." Miki replied. "Is that where we are going now?" He asked with a little jump in his walk.

"You know what, I think it is."

With that settled I managed to get the girl onto my back and set off in the direction where we hoped was Magnolia.

After and hour of walking, and finally making it out of the forest I could see the layout of a very quant town. _This must be Magnolia_. I continued down the streets and though the hussle and bussle of the townspeople and looked for any sign of the guild. After what seemed to be another hour gone, I asked some people where I could find Fairy Tail. The first few people scoffed at me and muttered under their breath about how it was a troublesome guild. But then, a cute little girl pointed me in the right direction and I found my self face to face with a beautiful looking guild and the sign of Fairy Tail plastered on the front of the building.

"Well it's time to go in, you ready Miki?" I asked my cute fox. He nodded with excitement and I opened the door with a bit of difficulty as I had a girl still on my back, passed out. _Man, she must have really bonked her head. _I opened the door and heard a resounding "yo".

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**Natsu POV**

I was walking to the bar after just getting out of a full out fight with friends from the guild. I sighed contentedly, it's always a good way to bond with guild mates. I sat down at the bar and Mira served me a drink. As I was thoughtlessly sitting there Gray came up and sat down beside me. I clearly visible twitch mark appeared on the side of my head. Mira served him a drink as well. He then asked, "Hey, have you seen Lucy anywhere? She has been gone quite a while."

Huh, now that he mentions it. "Yeah, I thought had just gone out for a walk." I said scratching my head.

"It's not like her to be gone for so long." Mira chimed in. Just as I was about to say that I would go look for her, the guild doors opened and the members said "yo" to whomever came in by force of habit. I looked to see an unknown figure that was blackened out because the sun was directly behind them. The figure looked to be deformed but after getting a better view out of the sun I saw that it was a girl. But it wasn't just a girl. There was someone on her back. After a second of readjusting my eyes is saw that it was Lucy.

I heard Gray first, "Lucy!", as he ran towards her. I also ran to her and watched as the girl smile and hand Lucy over to Gray.

"She's just fine, she knocked her self out in the woods." The girl said.

"How did you find her?" Gray asked. You could really her the concern in his voice over our friend.

"Well, actually I was just laying on the ground when I saw her and she just flat out tripped. I saw the design on her hand an decided to bring her here." Gray nodded and took Lucy to the back of the guild to the infirmary to get her all checked out. It didn't seem like he needed any help so I stayed at the front with the girl.

Looking her over she was small of stature, probably reaching as high as my nose, and actually quite beautiful. She had long silver wavy hair and the most colourful eyes with flecks of gold that seemed to change as the light touched them. She had quite a good figure too, since it seems it can rival with all the well endowed females members of the guild.

"Well, I better be off!" She smiled. "It was nice meeting you." I was about to tell her to stay for a bit when a grumble came from her. Her cheeks light up a bright red and she scratched her head, "Sorry, I'm just a bit hungry." She said meekly.

"Well if it's food you need we have plenty, it's on the house since you helped our friend." Mira said coming up to the girl and offering her hand to lead her to the bar.

"Ahh if it's not too much trouble." She said.

"No problem at all." Mira said.

"Ohh and can Miki join too?" The girl asked and she looked down behind her and there peeking around her legs was a little fox and there was fire on him!

"Awe, how cute, of course he can, I'm Mira by the way!" Mira beamed.

I followed them back to the bar. Now I was really curious about our newcomers.

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Please Review for continuations of the story.


	2. Nakama

**Chapter ****Two****: _Nakama_**

**Main's POV**

I followed the beautiful girl called Mira lead me to the bar and my stomach continued to rumble. _Ugh how unsightly. Not the first impression I would have gone with._ I sat down at the bar and Miki perched himself on my lap. The boy that was with us before at the front doors followed us back. He seemed to be very curious in Miki. I smiled, "He's a fire fox, I found him when he was little all on his own. He was just too darn cute to leave behind so I took him in." I said petting the fox and brushing my hand through his firey ears. The boy seemed to notice that I wasn't getting burnt but didn't say anything about it, yet.

"So does Lucy's saviour have a name?" Mira asked.

"Oh forgive me, my name is Annabel, Annabel Embers." I smiled at the two.

Suddenly a blue cat came flying in. "Hi Natsu, I'm back. I didn't catch any fish though. _Awe how cute! A blue cat!_ "Natsu who is she?" The blue cat said while pointing at me.

The boy, who I am assuming is Natsu at this point said, "This is Annabel, she helped Lucy who knocked herself out in the he woods." Natsu who laughed and looked at me with curiousity evident in his eyes.

"And who might you be love?" I asked the little cat.

The cat seemed to blush and twirled his paw on the bar top and said, "My name is Happy," he then saw Miki on my lap. "Annabel, how come your not on burnt with that fox on your lap?" Happy gapped seeing that Miki had fire on him.

"Well, I like fire, and it doesn't have any effect on me. I also use it in combat." I said.

It suddenly went silent. Happy looked from me to Natsu. And Natsu looked from Mira to me. All of them had a bit of a shocked look at them.

"That's weird, Macao can use fire too but other fire effects him if he touches it. You're kinda like Natsu." Happy said. That was my cue to look shocked.

"Natsu here is a dragon slayer and uses fire magic." _A dragon slayer, I heard about them from Ember._

"I'm not sure if this is a silly question, but do you eat fire?" I looked away shyly not knowing if that was a weird question or not.

Natsu smiled at me, "Fire is the best, I get a real boost when I eat it!" He summoned some up. "But I can't eat my own fire."

"Well I can help you with that." I said and formed at fire that took the form of a steak. I held my hand out and Natsu look at it with awe."I have great control over my fire and tend to use it by making it into shapes. In combat I usually make a fire sword or hammer, stuff like that." Natsu sniffed it, shrugged his shoulders and sucked it up.

"That was fantastic fire!"

"That's so cool, Annabel eats fire too!" Miki said with excitement.

Natsu then ignited his hand and my stomach growled and my eyes turned into hearts. "May I?" I asked really wanting to eat the fire. He gave me a toothy grin and nodded. I sucked it up the same way he did. I patted my stomach contentedly.

"That's interesting, usually you only hear about dragon slayers being able to eat the elements that they coincide with. Are you by any chance a dragon slayer?" Mira asked. Natsu look at me with what almost looked like hope in his eyes.

"No, I'm not, but I have heard of dragon slayers from my mother Ember."

"Annabel says that Ember was a giant Phoenix and taught her about fire." Miki said.

"You make it sound like I'm making it up. Ember is real and she took me in when I was little and taught me everything that I know." I said.

"Where is Ember now?" Natsu asked. I frowned, I didn't want to think about that.

"When I was 8, Ember was killed by a bunch of mages from a dark guild." I looked down, tears threatening to drop.

"Why would they do that?" Mira said, not really asking me because she noticed that it didn't seem like a topic that I normally discuss. But I thought that there was no point in not talking about it. _They seem like nice people_.

"Have you ever heard about the power that a Phoenix possesses?" I asked them.

Mira, Happy and Natsu looked at each other. "Well," Mira started, " There was a time where we helped someone that was immortal from having consumed Phoenix blood." They looked kind of depressed thinking about it.

I nodded understanding what they could have gone through. "Where I'm from it is said that Phoenix feathers have the power to give the owner any wish. Ember was ultimately killed for her feathers."

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked at Natsu who was giving a sympathetic smile. I smiled back and Miki was rubbing his head against my stomach with compassion.

After another hour of chatting, laughter, and filling our tummies with food it was time to head out.

"Well it was very nice meeting you all, thanks again for the food, and for your fire Natsu." I smiled at them, although they looked as though that they were trying to say something but didn't know how too.

As I was turning to leave a tiny little old man stepped in front of me. "What I think my children are would like to say is that they want you to stay. I, for one, wouldn't mind seeing another beautiful face around here." The old man said.

As I was about to rubutle, the old man continued, "Plus, I think Lucy would like to see the face of her rescuer." I sighed. I guess he did have a point.

"Hey Annabel, does that man we can stay?" Miki said wagging his fiery tail with excitement.

"Is that what you would like Miki?" I asked him while kneeling to his level.

He looked at me with his adorable eyes. He nodded and said, "It would be nice if we could stay in one spot for a while and make lots of friends!"

"Awe how can I argue with you. Alright," I stood up and turned towards the guild," We are in." I said. Natsu came running up smiling, and swung his arm around my neck.

"You're going to love it at Fairy Tail!" Natsu exclaimed.

Just as people were welcoming us, I noticed Lucy appear from the hallway that lead from the infirmary. I smiled, glad to know that she was alright. Gray followed behind her. _I wonder if they have a thing going on? _I excused myself from the crowd and walked over.

"Hi Lucy, I'm Annabel, nice to see your doing well and on your feet."

She looked confused for a moment. "Gray, do you know who this is?" Lucy questioned.

"Oh, she was the one that saw you on the ground and brought you here." He replied.

"Ohh!" She exclaimed and grabbed my hands. "Thank you so much for helping me, I can be such a clutz sometimes. Hey, do people ever tell you that you have really warm hands?" She asked.

"Haha yes. I am a fire Mage after all." I said. Lucy looked excited. And I could here Gray mutter something along the lines of 'oh great, another one'.

"Have you meet Natsu already? He's a fire Mage too, not to mention a dragon slayer." I nodded yes, you could really hear the fondness for her friend on her voice as she talked about him. I looked back at Natsu as he was energetically talking with someone. He noticed I was looking at him and shot his hand up and waved at me. I have him a little wave back.

_Yeah, I think I'm going to like it here._

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_**Please review and leave and comments! They give me a very good motivation to keep on writing!**_


	3. A Job

**Chapter Three: A Job**

It's been just a week since I have been here and already it feels like I have a new family. Miki seems to be getting along well with Happy and the other Exceeds. I sat at one of the tables and looked up at the ceiling. _It's really nice to finally have a place I can call home_. Speaking of home, I found the most fantastic apartment for me and Miki to live in. It's 50,000 Jewels a month and has two bedrooms and a massive bathtub and I move in soon! The only problem is the money. I have been living off the land for as long as I can remember and at that time I didn't need money really at all other than to buy some clothes and hygiene stuff. Otherwise I caught my own food and slept wherever.

"How's a girl to make a living?" I muttered to myself.

"Why don't you pick out a job on the board?" A voice said. I looked over and saw Natsu grinning as normal from ear to ear. _He's a happy one isn't he_? Natsu pointed towards a board that had a bunch of postings on it. I walked over to have a look.

There were so many different kind of jobs; from finding toys for kids to capturing a fugitive. It sounds like so much fun, where to start.

"Remove a curse from a lamp, find a magic ring, exterminate a devil on a mountain top." I muttered to myself. What to choose? As I was looking for options Natsu ripped one off of the request board and showed it too me.

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**Wanted**: Thieves

Items and money have been stolen while are guests are gambling and even will sunbathing on the beach.

Please, arrest the criminals, so people can have a good time in paradise once again.

**Requester**: Minato Keiichi (Manager at Akane Resort)

**Reward**: 500,000 Jewels + free tickets to the park + two days three nights staying at the hotel for free(8)

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If you were watching me read this you would have seen my face grow ever happier and by the end when I read how much the reward was my eyes had dollar signs in them.

"I have to do this!"I exclaimed and looked at Natsu.

"Well yeah, but I'm coming since I picked it out for you." Natsu said looking as eager as ever.

"Sounds like a plan!" Oh I was getting excited. My first job! "Miki come here, I have some exciting news." Miki scooted over and I lowered the request so he could read it. After he read it he was jumping with all four paws.

"Can we do it?"

"Yup, and Natsu is coming with us." Miki turned around and jumped into Natsu's arm. Miki wasn't really able to do this with anyone since they would all get burnt but Miki realized that he couldn't burn Natsu the same way he couldn't burn me. Miki scooted onto Natsu's shoulder and sat there.

"When do we leave?" Miki asked.

Natsu replied, "Whenever you're ready."

Natsu walked over to Mira with the request in hand and Miki still on his shoulder. "Annabel and I want to do this job." He said placing it in front of Mira. She looked it over and nodded.

"Have a safe trip!" Mira smiled.

As we were leaving the guild I saw Lucy sitting at the table chatting with some other members. "Hey Lucy, Natsu and I have a job that we are going on, would you like to join us?" I heard that Natsu normally goes on jobs with Lucy and I didn't want to seem like I was taking him away from her.

"Sorry I can't. I have a job at the library that I can't miss. Maybe next time I can join you. Have fun and don't get into too much trouble." She then leaned into my ear and whispered, "Be sure to watch Natsu, he can become very destructive and it takes away from your reward." I nodded in understanding. I knew just how destructive fire can be.

I stood back and waved my goodbyes.

"Come on Happy, time to go!" Natsu yelled to his blue cat.

"Aye!" Happy responded.

The four of us began our journey to Akane Resort. Natsu stopped abruptly and asked, "Don't you have any luggage to take?"

"No, I don't really have any belonging, I just have a magic storage bracelet that I use to hold my clothes." I bought the bracelet because it seemed like a convienent way to store my clothes and to have them on me while on the go. I held up my bracelet to him, it was nothing special, just a silver looking bangle with a button in the middle that shows my items.

"Erza should get that, she carries so many suitcases." Happy said while flying around our heads. I gave a confused look and Natsu began to clarify.

"Erza, she's an S class Mage with a mean temper." Natsu said. "Whatever you do, don't ever touch her cake." At the time I was picturing a fat angry girl holding a whole cake, who knew how wrong you could be.

"I'm assuming I haven't seen her around then?" I asked, I think I would have notice a angry girl with cake if I had seen one.

"She has been on a dangerous mission for a while, but I think she should be coming back soon." Happy said.

I nodded, kind of excited to meet her. All the people at Fairy Tail were so unique.

"Hey, where did you get your guild stamp?" Happy asked. I suddenly blushed at the memory.

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Flashback

_I was chatting with Gildarts, Cana and Elfman about who was manliest when they drank when all of a sudden I was being tugged at the arm._

_"I'm just going to take Annabel to get her stamp." Mira said. As she was taking me towards the back of the guild she asked,"So do you have a spot where you would like to have your stamp?"_

_"Now that you mention it, I haven't even thought about it." I started to ponder where to put it. _

_"May a make a suggestion?" Mira asked while picking up the stamp._

_"Ofcourse!" _

_"Well the shoulder is a very common one, maybe too overused now that I think about it. Lucy has hers on the hand which is very pretty too."_

_Hmmmm, where should I put it. It is something quite important after all. _

_All of a sudden a fight broke out in the guild. Fists were flying and Natsu and Grey were making a big ruckus. Suddenly, Gildarts fell towards me and touched the hem of my shirt and it disassembled the whole thing into tiny squares. At the same time, Elfman knocked Mira down and I was in the process of crossing my arms over my chest when Mira fell on top of me with her hand outstretched while still gripping the stamp and it landed right on the top part of my left breast. _

_"Now that's not a bad spot at all. Good choice." Gildarts said while checking out my bare chest and rubbing his chin in approval. _

_Any this point in time I was far past embarrassment and flared out and made a flaming hammer and smacked it on top of Gildarts while my other arm was covering my chest. After ensuring that he wasn't getting back up I made fire wings and flew out of the guild._

End flashback

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"Its on my chest above my heart." I said while pointed to my breast that was currently covered by clothing. Happy had his paw on his mouth stifling a laugh.

"I wanna see it!" Happy said. I twitched, made a fire pistol and shot him out of the air.

"Ha, I don't think so."

"Well, what colour is it?" Natsu asked. At least he knows how to ask appropriate questions, surprisingly.

"It's red."

"Cool, same as mine." He said while showing me his stamp on his shoulder.

Natsu and I chatted until we made it to the train where would get on to go to Akane Resort. I was ready to get on but Natsu was waiting back. He looked quite pale for some reason.

"Are you alright Natsu?"

"Guhhh, I'm just sick thinking about it." He said.

Happy flew to the ground and said, "Natsu gets motion sickness on everything, and doesn't have any strength to use fire magic." He snickered.

"There's nothing that helps?" I asked. Natsu shook his head and slowly walked on board. I followed quietly behind trying to think of a way to help him.

The train has been going for a few minutes when it dawned on me.

"Natsu, can I try something that might help?" Natsu weakly lifted his thumb up as a 'go for it' sign. I walked to his seat and lifted his head and put it on my lap. At this point he was giving me a curious look. I lite my hands with fire and placed one on his head and the other on his stomach. Natsu closed his eyes and seemed a bit more soothed and not ready to up chuck at any moment.

After a while he opened his eyes and looked at me. "How did you think to do that?" He sounded much better already. I gave him a sad smile.

"When I was little, I was often sick and Ember would let me curl up in her wings and lay in her fiery warmth. It worked every time. I thought maybe it would work for you."

"Sorry to bring up sad memories." Natsu said and placed his hand on top of my hand that was on his stomach.

"That's okay, it's not a sad memory at all. I just really miss her."

"I miss Igneel too." We both looked at each other and I started to feel weird and looked away.

"Let's rest. We have a ways to go before we get there and we have a big job ahead of us."

Natsu, who looked a bit red in the face closed his eyes in hope of checking a few z's.

Meanwhile

On the seat across from them you could hear snickering and one of the little animals said. "They liiiiiiike each other."

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please leave a comment below for more chapters.


	4. Akane Resort

**Chapter Four: Akane Resort**

Finally, we had arrived at Akane resort. Looking at a brochure that I found at the entrance, I learned that Akane Resort is the most popular tourist spot in Fiore. Among its many attractions is the giant amusement park, the five-star hotel and the huge sandy beach adjacent to the sea. The hotel houses a casino in its basement where visitors can enjoy themselves. Sounds like this place could be a lot of fun!

Natsu and I, along with our furry companions, entered the Casino area where we were to meet the manager Minatio Keiichi. I asked around the bars to see if one of the employees knew where he was. One of the bartenders pointed to a man walking through the aisles of slot machines. He was tall, with blonde hair and had deep brown eyes. Though, he does look young to be a manager. The manager saw us looking in his directions and waved us over.

From the beginning of our conversation with the manager he seemed to be giving of a flirtatious vibe with me. He would constantly try to make prolonged eye contact or wink, not I was minding it. I haven't really been around guys for a while, I mean living in the woods isn't something you would want to tell your potential date. I noticed Natsu was getting a little huffy about the situation and his eyes went between me and the Keiichi. Plus Keiichi didn't seem to be giving Natsu the time of day.

I noticed Natsu was about to burst so I said ,"Well, what kind of plan do you have for us so that we can catch these thieves and be on our way?"

Keiichi gave off a devious look and said, "Why don't we try to con the thieves into thinking that you're a guest who is winning a bunch of money. They won't be able to resist." His plan wasn't actually that bad. Natsu seem to grumble about not being able to just beat up thieves.

"Sounds like a plan but I don't own any classy clothes." I looked down at my attire, I was wearing a blue shirt with white daisies over it, and a pair of blue jeans along with some sneakers. This outfit didn't really scream glamour.

"Not a problem, I think I have just the right thing we can give you. Sometimes our staff members work the aisles and try to draw in more customers, so we need to dress them up time to time." Keiichi said.

Somewhere, in the pit of my stomach, I had a bad feeling. Keiichi lead Natsu and I to the back where we could get changed. The plan was that Natsu and I are a newlywed couple who are on their honeymoon and are just having a grand old time spending tons and tons of cash while flaunting it around. _Newlywed couple, eh_? The thoughts sparked my imagination. I wonder if I will ever get to have a boyfriend, get married, have kids, and live happily ever after. The thought felt so distant but there's always hope, the hope to find someone perfect for you.

In the change room, a staff member brought me a package that had the dress that I was going to wear for the evening. I pulled dress out of the package. It was a navy blue full-length dress and the material was shimmering. It had a cut on the left side up to my mid thigh and I was strapless. My face was turning every redder. "They expect me to go out there and where this?" I went to go ask for different dress but the lady that brought my dress also took away my clothes. I guess there's no going back now. I have never really worn anything this formal before. I ve never had the opportunity to, but having it on, I feel beautiful and feminine. A girl can't really feel that feminine when she's living in the woods after all.

After having the dress on, my only issue where the heels. These things just don't sit right with me, how is anybody supposed to walk in them? I walked out of the change room and I saw Natsu. He was sporting a suit that was also navy blue, and I got to tell you he looks pretty handsome.

Natsu was adjusting his cuff, when he turned around and said "Ha ha now I can see your Fairy Tail stamp."

I looked down at my chest, and what would you know, there was the stamp clear as day. This dress really was terribly low-cut. I blushed and covered my chest, "Quit staring Natsu!"

"My, my such a lovely flower we have here!" Keiichi said flirtatiously. My already red blush just deepened in colour.

I looked to the floor and said, "Can we get this over and done with already? I don't feel comfortable in these clothes."

"But you look to pretty Annabel!" My cute little fire fox said. I smiled.

"Thanks, Miki." With a determined look I started towards the casino. "Let's get this show on the road."

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Sorry for it being so short, I just thought this was a good part to stop and the next chapter will really kick things off.

Please leave a comment behind :)


	5. Capture

**Chapter Five: Capture**

This is the most awkward I have felt in a long time. I am surrounded by a bunch of people that I don't know that are spending heaping amounts of money, while I am arm in arm with a dragon slayer undercover to catch some thieves. I started to doubt that this was going to work. I didn't fit in this kind of setting, I am a free spirit. Fancy clothes, vast wealth and glamour don't suit me very well. The look on Natsu's face suggested that he felt just as constricted in his suit.

I signed, there wasn't really anything we could do about it now, other than to try to not blow our cover. We are acting as newlyweds who are totally in love. I blushed at the thought. I looked back at Miki and Happy who we're talking amongst themselves and every once in a while they would look at Natsu and I and snicker. What could those two be thinking?

Earlier, Natsu and I discussed our plan of action. We decided that I would play the slots and Natsu would play poker. We will obnoxiously flaunt our money and leave it within grasp for the thieves.

Still arm in arm we made our way to the slots. I started to undo our arms when Natsu pulled back my forearm and planted a kiss on my forehead. My face lite up like a tomato.

"Wha-what are you d-doing?" I scrambled out of his grasp.

Natsu scratched his head and muttered, "Just playing the part." He had a slight tinge to his face too. At least it's seems he isn't impervious. I smiled at Natsu and walked to the slot machines. Time to get this show on the road.

Even before reaching the slot machines I could feel various people staring at me. It felt very uncomfortable. Maybe I'm just being overly self conscious because of my appearance. I could see the lecherous looks on men as they stared at me. I felt shivers up my back. But it's not time to be thinking about that. We have some thieves to catch. I looked at Natsu who was settling himself at a poker table. He looked towards me and nodded, I nodded in return. At least we can see each other. At the slot machine I placed my purse within easy grabbing distance for a thief, but just so I could stop them. I began to play the slots and every time it won even the smallest amount I would make sure lots of people could here me, "Yay! I won, this is awesome!" And so on.

Whenever I lost I would say something like, "Awe, I lost, oh well at least I have A LOT of money to spare, hehe!" As I was playing I could hear Natsu from where I was. I peeked over my slot and saw him with an angry face directed towards the dealer. He seemed to be getting into this charade. I watched him play as he stared at his cards and the others players faces. Let's just say that Natsu doesn't have a very good poker face. I went back to my slot machine and continued to play. This lasted another hour until all the lights went out.

Suddenly, I felt someone grab my arms and pull them behind me while someone else bagged my head. Like I couldn't see already but now I was unable to talk or scream. I began to kick as much as I could hoping to make contact with something. I managed to hit with what I think was the seat I was sitting on and it fell over. I could feel myself being dragged away and I had no way of getting out of their grasp. It was time to get serious. I went to conjure up a fire blast around me but I was unable to. They must be blocking my magic. I struggled and felt restraints that were placed on my wrist. These must be the culprit. I suddenly felt panicked. I'm being dragged away to who knows where and I have no way to defend myself. What am I going to do? After a few minutes I found myself being dragged into another building. It reeked of cigarettes and alcohol. I have a bad feeling about this place. My arms were then pulled above my and I became shackled to the wall. Then the bag on my head was taken off. I had to readjust my eyesight for a second, and what I saw wasn't pleasant in the least. Numerous men were looking down at me. My thoughts began thinking about the worst case scenario. I was terrified. I couldn't use magic. I felt like I had no strength. I am vulnerable.

I heard footsteps approaching and the men separated to let the person through.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here." The man said, his voice laced with greed and lust. I recognized this man. I was terrified, now I'm more scared then I have ever been in my life. My thoughts turned to what might be my only hope.

"Natsu." I whimpered.

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Natsu POV

This game really pisses me off. I either have a number that too low or a number that's to high. Tch, so annoying. I looked over to see Annabel, playing the slots. As I watched her I could tell that she felt uncomfortable. Even so, she does look really beautiful. Ahh, what am I thinking she's my nakama. Although, that's dress doesn't leave very much to the imagination. I thought back to the kiss I gave her. Something just came over me and I did it. I shook my head trying to get rid of those thoughts. Then suddenly the lights went out, people started to scream. I felt my sides for any money that might have gone missing. It's still all there. Maybe it's just a blackout. A few minutes later the lights went back on. I looked over to see Annabel but she had disappeared.

I quickly left my table and rushed over to where she was supposed to be. I noticed her purse was still there, brimming with cash no less, and that the seat was overturned. I sniffed the air. Something happened here.

"Annabel!" I yelled without a second thought hoping for a response. When none came I got pissed. I was worried too but I had a sinking feeling, I think I knew what had happepened. I checked around the casino and found nothing. I ran over to Happy and Miki who seemed a bit startled over the blackout.

"Hey Natsu why did the lights go out?" Happy asked.

"Tch, I think Annabel was their target."

"What do you mean?" Miki spoke up, concern growing on his face.

"The thieves, they must have gone after her. I can't find her anywhere." The only trail I have is her smell. I have to go now or I'll lose the trail. "Happy, take Miki back to the guild and tell them what's happened." Happy nodded.

"No, I'm coming with you!" Miki said.

"You'll only get in the way, now go!" I could tell Miki wasn't happy about what I said but understood why. He went with Happy and I took off to find Annabel. They couldn't have gotten far. I found her scent trail and began the search.

"I will find you!"

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Please comment or review :)


	6. Desperation and Hope

**Chapter Six: Desperation and Hope**

Pain. That's all I felt. There wasn't a spot on my body that didn't hurt. I've blacked out countless times from the beatings. I haven't seen a speck of sunlight in the time I've been here. They took me away from the first place I was held, and went in a vehicle to someplace else. This place was dark and stale, like a warehouse. It was cold too. I felt so lost. Was anyone ever going to find me? And if they did find me, would I still be alive? I felt drained of energy and felt hopeless. _What do they want with me?_ I have been thinking that so many times since they kidnapped me.

My current state was pitiful. I was stripped of everything and I was covered in bruises. Not to mention I was still shackled. Tears stained my face from all the abuse. And the tears continued to fall. Images of what the men did to me appeared in my mind. I was beaten too many times to count. They were relentless and I was helpless to do anything.

I hated myself for being so weak. They had their way with me and I could do nothing. I had lost hope. Sometimes the men would come alone, and other time in groups. Groups were the worst. Testosterone raged and the men competed with each other. It was disgusting.

_Tch, I hated feeling this way._ I'm strong but there's nothing I can do while being restrained. My now battered body was useless even if I could move.

I suddenly heard footsteps heading towards me. Here we go again. I brased myself for the worst. When I didn't feel anyone touching me I opened my eyes, well as much as I could. I saw the man from earlier standing over me with a snide look on his face.

"You will give us what we want." He then grabbed a fistful of my hair and tilted my face to make me look directly at him. "No matter what."

"What is it that you want?" I manage to croak, I was so nervous when faced with this man. I knew what he could do.

"You should know, I saw you there when we took her feathers." He sneered.

I was in utter shock. There's no way I could give him that! I don't even have that! But he won't stop until he gets what he wants. I began to cry, memories of Ember flooding my mind

"I will get what I want." With that the man shoved me roughly into the wall and left. I yelped at the impact and shuddered at the pain.

"Natsu, where are you?" I whimpered. But then I wondered why I was putting all my hope of rescue on him. Sure I trust him, but I also just met him. Was it wishful thinking to place my trust with Fairy Tail. I shook my head, _no, I believe in them_. But there's this feeling in my chest that just knows that he's coming for me. I have to endure this. I waited for what felt like hours. No other men had come to see me so I was very thankful. Suddenly a fiery explosion appeared across the room. My stomach grumbled just seeing the flames. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about food. I tried to focus my sore eyes to see the person who had caused the explosion. I saw pink hair and immediately I knew who had arrived for me.

"Natsu." I said in my strongest voice which currently wasn't that strong at all. I saw him turn to me is eyes widened and he ran towards me.

"Annabel!" He yelled as he pulled me into an embrace and gave me a full on kiss. I was shocked for a moment but I felt comfort in his gesture, and I began to melt in the warmth he gave me. I began to cry uncontrollably. "Don't worry, you're safe now." Natsu took off my shackles and I immediately embraced him. He held me close and we stay like that for a while. When we pulled apart Natsu suddenly turned his head towards the ceiling his face was as red as a cherry. I began to ask him what was wrong but then I looked down and I remembered what state I was currently in. I quickly covered my nudity with my arms. Natsu stood up and took off his shirt and handed to me while still looking away. "Use this to cover yourself." He said while scratching his red cheek.

I slipped it on and was glad to know that it covered the necessary bits. A benefit was that it also smelt like Natsu. _Smells like campfire and ashes, my favourite_. Thinking of fire, my stomach began to growl. Natsu turned to me and smiled, "Here, you must be hungry." He made a ball of fire and I munched it down. Fire just hits the spot, I smiled. Natsu gave a small smile as he was looking at my still bare legs. They were covered with numerous bruises, and I'm sure he didn't miss all the ones on my chest.

"About what happened," I began but Natsu stopped me.

"Let's not think about that right now, we have some thieves to catch." Natsu said with a fierce look. He knew who had hurt me and wanted to give them their payback.

I nodded, "I have some pain to deliver as well." I cracked my knuckles and readied my battered body for a fight. Natsu's fire really is recuperative. I felt some of my strength had come back. And now with my ability to use magic again, no thief would stand in my way. Natsu grabbed my hand and turned towards me, concern growing on his face questioning whether I was able to fight or not. I gave his hand a hard squeeze and a strong smile to assure him that I was ready.

We took off towards his explosion hand in hand and we came face to face with our enemy. Many men had swarmed the area, once again giving me lecherous looks. I am going to wipe those looks on their faces once and for all! I took a step forward when I suddenly ran into Natsu's arm. He was holding me back. The look on his face when I turned towards him was fierce. As well, flames started to erupt around his body. If I was the enemy I would be very frightened. He then looked at me with a serious face, "Let me do this, for you."

My eyes widened, he met to protect me by any means necessary. I shrugged, "I dunno Natsu, are you sure you can take on this many people?" I teased. Natsu's eye twitched.

"What?"

"I said, I don't think you can take on all these guys by yourself!" Hehe, it's so much fun to rile him up. Natsu turned to face me, mock anger on his face. He pointed his finger at me.

"You just stay right there and watch me, dammit!" He stomped off towards the enemy. He then started to run at full speed, his flames brillantly blazing.

I smiled, Natsu really is an amazing person once you get past the rough exterior. He has a heart of gold. I felt myself growing more and more attached to this dragon slayer, and I really don't mind. I watched I'm as he ran straight into the mass of men and started whooping ass. I cheered from where I was. I could hear him say 'fire dragon this' and 'fire dragon that', he really wasn't holding back. All of a sudden I was put in a headlock. Oh no, this is not happening a second time. I felt my fire in my palm and I yelled "Phoenix fire sword!" I slashed at my enemy and sent him running. The problem was, he wasn't the only one taking us from behind. I held my flaming sword firmly.

Natsu had heard my yell and he yelled my name and came running over. "Are you alright?" He said while looking over me to see if I had any new injuries. I brushed I'm off.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, they just took me by surprise that's all." I grinned at his blatant need to look after me. "Mind if I show you how a Phoenix does things?"

Natsu crossed his arms and smirked, "Give 'em hell."

With that I felt my magic swell to my back and I unleashed my favourite magic. _My Phoenix fire wings._ Shaped like a Phoenix's wings with fire, they had the power to let me fly high and extremely fast. Natsu looked at me in awe as I jumped up and took off. I twirled in the air, enjoying the feel of the wind on my tired face. "Natsu don't you wish you could fly?" I said from above tauntingly.

He stomped his foot and was making a fit. "Happy! I have Happy to make me fly!" I giggled, at his fit. I remember a Happy flying around earlier, who knew that little cat could carry Natsu. Anyways, it was time to get this over and done with.

I swooped down and began picking of my prey one by one. They were utterly helpless since one, they didn't have magic, and two, couldn't fly. _This is just child's play. _Not long after I was already done. My flames all dissipated and I landed beside Natsu. "That was cool. You have to teach me how to make a flaming sword!" He started mimicking the action of swinging a sword. I only smiled and went to sit down. I was utterly spent. Normally I wouldn't be tired at all, but in my state I was actually surprised I could last that long. I looked at all the men that had been beaten.

"Hey, it looks like we finished our job in the process. The manager wanted thieves and here we have them." Natsu smiled in response and gave me a thumbs up.

"Mission accomplished!"

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She was ONLY beaten, nothing else.

Join me in the next chapter where Annabel tells Natsu about what happened while she was captured.

Please review below! :)


	7. Their Tears

**Chapter Seven: Their Tears**

I relaxed in a nice hot bubble bath shortly after Natsu and I arrived at the casino. We had restrained all of the thieves and brought them to the manager as soon as we had finished whooping their asses. Although, the man that was their leader, that awful, awful man, had fled to who knows where. I hope I never see that face again. But, I knew what he was after and I knew how twisted he was, and that he would do anything to get me back to get what he wants.

Once the manager had seen me, he freaked out and and told me to use the executive bath to nurse my injuries. I said that I couldn't possible take him up on his offer but Natsu pushed me towards the room ordering me to get in the bath. Since taking this job I have realized that Natsu always does anything he can to take care of me. I dipped lower in the bath that was full of bubbles. I moved my hands over my body. I winced every so often as I touched a bump or bruise. Memories of my time spent there flashed behind my closed eyelids. They never used weapons, as was told so my their leader, but their fists and feet. What I hated was that there wasn't a thing I could have done to stop them. I just took it.

I cleaned my body, scrubbing it until it was a bright red, hoping to rid myself of the feeling of hands that had touched me. I washed my grungy looking hair to restore to its natural silky silver colour. I stepped out of the tub and wrapped an incredibly soft towel around my body. I finally looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes widened but only for a second. What was I expecting? That it wasn't so bad? That things would just go back to normal? Well that wasn't the case. My eyes had hollowed slightly, and I looked used and tossed aside. My bruises have become dark purple as they began to heal. The only real upside to this was that they didn't cause any scarring to my body from not using weapons. I won't have a lifelong mark that will make me think of this day. My sense of pride was taken, but that could mend over time.

I signed and headed to the living room of the suite that I was so generously giving. I walked in, eyes downcast and when I looked up I saw Natsu sitting on a couch with a serious face. Quickly his faced turned red and he looked away. Oh, I blushed, I was still wearing a towel.

"Sorry, Natsu, I didn't know you were here. I'm going to get changed." I said halfheartedly and turned towards the bedroom. At this point in time it almost didn't matter if people saw my body, I had no sense of embarrassment left. I changed into my clothes that I had worn when we first came to the casino as fast as I could considering hitting a bruise every few seconds. I came back into the living room and Natsu again had on a serious look. I sat down beside him and sighed. He took that as a sign saying that he could talk.

"About what happened," he started but lost track of his words, unsure of how to continue.

"It's alright, I don't mind telling you. It might make things better if I let it all out." He nodded. "I'm just going to get right to the point alright?" He nodded again. I took a deep breath, doing my best to hold back any tears from spilling on my already tear stained face. I looked at my hands that were gripping my pants. Then I just let go.

"I was beaten by those men, countless times." I breathed deep, doing my best to control my heart rate. I was so nervous. Would he think less of me? Maybe find me weak and unworthy? I couldn't look at him. But after a while of him not saying anything, I looked up and saw his a face. I couldn't believe what I saw. Tears streamed down his face, but the face he was making was one of anger.

"Natsu-" I began but was cut off.

"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry!" More tears came down his face and he wiped his nose with his shirt sleeve.

"You don't have to be sorry."

"But it's my fault. I wasn't there to keep you safe. I didn't find you fast enough! Dammit!" He yelled and slammed a fist into a couch cushion. He looked at me and noticed every bruise. He brought his hand to my face. "Every mark on your body was given because I wasn't there to stop them."

Natsu felt so sorry for me. Tears began to stream down my face. He blames himself for everything that happened while I blamed myself. I placed my hand atop his hand that was on my face. Shaking my head I said, "It's not your fault, nor is it my fault. It's all those men thinking that they could get away with what they were doing. And in the end we won." I smiled through the tears.

"But still," Natsu began. I shushed him.

"I'm here, I'm alive aren't I?" He nodded. I then pulled him into a hug enjoying the sense of familiarity and safety that I found in those arms. He tightened his arms around me.

"I'm never letting you out of my sight again." He said sounding determined. I just laughed.

"Don't you think that's a bit much?"

"Not at all." He whispered in my ear. I felt so much better talking with him already.

All of the sudden the door to the suite was kicked over and members of Fairy Tail flooded into the room yelling our names. Natsu and I quickly jumped apart, blushes appearing on both of are faces. Without hesitation I certain red fire fox ran at me full speed.

"Annabel!" Miki jumped in my arms and I winced a bit upon impact. He noticed my face, "Are you alright?" I smiled, I needed to assure him that I was alright. I gave Natsu a look that I didn't want him saying anything. He seemed to have gotten the message and switched moods to something more cheerful.

"I'm alright. Just a few bruises." Miki jumped off so that he wouldn't touch any more by accident.

"Do you need any of my fire to help the pain?" He asked. How cute, he only offers me his fire if he thinks it's completely necessary.

"Don't worry Miki, Natsu gave me some of his flames so I feel much better." I patted the little guys ears.

I looked up to see who had all come from Fairy Tail. Happy was there of course, along with Gray, Lucy, and who I figured out was Erza as well as Carla and Wendy. Erza sure wasn't what I had first pictured her to look like. I'm glad I joined this guild. It was filled with people that would do anything for family. I lost track of my thoughts when Natsu started talking.

"Wendy!" He said while grabbing the little girls shoulders. "Can you get rid of bruises?" Oh boy I knew where this was going.

"Mhmm!" Wendy said.

"Well Annabel has plenty for you!" Natsu said and saw me and stopped grinning. I glared at him. I didn't care about healing them magically, I would have let them heal naturally for all I care.

"Aw, just let her get rid of them so they don't hurt so much." Miki said with his cutest eyes. I could say no to him. I stood up and lead Wendy to the bedroom. She asked if she could see the extent of my bruises considering some of them had formed welts. As I was taking of my shirt she was already shocked to see how many bruises there were.

"How did you get so many?" Wendy asked.

"It's a long story, but the gist of it is that I got beat up a bit while wearing magic blocking restraints." I kept it short and to the point. I didn't want to scare the poor girl with and awful story. She nodded knowing that I wasn't going to go into any further detail. With that she cast her magic on me and I could slowly feel the dull pain disappearing. I quick look in the mirror afterwards affirmed that I no longer had bruises everywhere. "Thanks Wendy." I gave her a small smile.

"Anytime Annabel." The little girl smiled. We headed back into the living room where everyone was chatting. Natsu was the first to notice our presence in the room. He did a quick look over my body to see if he could see anything, but smiled at me after not finding anything. The other guild members were looking at me trying to figure out what had happened. As I walked to Natsu's side he grabbed my hand and gave it a slight squeeze. I smiled at him and gave his hand a squeeze.

These gestures didn't go unnoticed by any of their friends. Just then, the manager walked in.

"Ah, Annabel, it's good to see you looking better." Keiichi said grabbing on my other hand. He noticed Natsu holding my other one and gently pulled me away from him. Natsu let go only to give Keiichi a strong glare. I inwardly laughed, Natsu can't control his emotions at all.

"Yes, thank you for letting me use this wonderful room." I replied.

"You're welcome. I have also come to give you your reward for completing the job. So here is 500,000 Jewels, plus your free tickets to the park, as well as two days, three nights stay at the hotel for free." He smiled and handing it all to me. I looked it all over. My eyes narrowed.

"But there are 6 passes? Why so many?" Keiichi looked from me and then to my fellow guild members, specifically Lucy and Erza.

"Why? Because your beautiful friends look like they could use a vacation after worrying about you." Well that was a lame excuse. I sighed, but accepted his offer. With that he kissed my hand that he was previously holding and left. I held my hand away from my body as if it was diseased. I gotta wash that off. After doing just that I looked down at the reward that Natsu and I were given. Obviously we would split the cash but what should we do with the tickets. I looked at Natsu and then to the rest of our friends.

I walked over to all of them, who were chatting amongst themselves. I outstretched my hand with the tickets in them. "If you don't mind, I would like you guys to accept these tickets for a two day, three night stay at this hotel."

Lucy was the first to speak up. "Yay! A vacation! Thank you so much Annabel, I gladly accept." I looked to the rest who looked like they would feel guilty if they accepted.

I stepped in front of Erza. "I couldn't possibly-" she started.

"Don't worry Natsu, and I would love it if you joined us." I smiled, then I heard Natsu speak up.

He looked a little scared and said, "We would?" My eyes narrowed at him, then I looked at Erza and said,

"Of course we would. It would be nice if I got to know you guys a bit better." With that she accepted the ticket. Wendy gladly accepted hers and lastly I walked over to Gray.

"I can't really say no to you can I?" He said while scratching his head.

"It would be great if you joined us." I said and handed him his ticket.

"So are we going now or waiting til another time to use these?" Lucy said excitedly.

"Maybe we should head back to the guild," Natsu started and looked at me, "I have to let gramps know how the job went." I could hear Lucy sigh from where I was. Natsu was right, going back was the right idea for now. I would like to sleep in my own bed tonight. It was decided that we would go home.

On the train ride back I helped Natsu with his motionsickness again so Wendy didn't have to use her Troia on him. During the ride my eyelids felt heavy and I fell into a deep sleep, only to be disturbed by the nightmare that was plagued my dreams.

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Please review or leave a comment about what you thought!


	8. Nightmares and Kisses

Hey, so I did change what had happened to Annabel in the previous chapters. I just wanted to let any readers that hadn't found out know.

I am also SO SORRY for not updating. I was sick and had migraines. The weather from going to cold to warm, wet to dry and viceversa really takes a toll on me. Again, I'm sorry and I hope this chapter makes up for it, at least a bit. :) Enjoy!

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**Chapter Eight: Nightmares and Kisses**

It was dark, nighttime I think. I was standing in a forest when I heard sounds. Disoriented, I checked my surroundings. _This place seems vaguely familiar_. I heard the sound of footsteps and I could smell the remains of gunfire. My forehead began to twinge in pain. _I've been here before_. Making my way towards the flickering light, I found myself at the forests edge. The bright light blinded me momentarily and when I opened my eyes I gasped at the horror.

_No, I didn't want to see this again_. There she was, my mom, being tortured and defeathered by numerous people. They restrained her wings and body, and she was helpless. I saw gunshot wounds all over her. My hands went to my face to shield the horrific scene I front of me. I didn't want to see this for a second time.

I could hear her screams of agony, as one by one her feathers were ripped off her beautiful wings. My eyes racked over all the people hurting my dear mother. I abruptly stopped when my eyes fell upon that man. He was there just as I remembered him. The leader of the group that had kidnapped me.

I was scared. I began screaming and screaming, the pain of seeing my mom like this stabbed my heart. It hurt. Suddenly I heard sounds.

"-Bel"

"-Nabel" I turned around and blindly ran into the forest clutching my throbbing head. I suddenly tripped and blacked out.

The next feeling I had was of being shaken. Slowly, I opened my eyes, wincing at the light. My face felt wet. I heard my name being called out. I looked over and saw Natsu, with obvious concern on his face.

"Annabel" He said a bit softer now that I had woken up. I reached up and grabbed a hand that was on my shoulder that he had placed on me while I was asleep.

"Hey, Natsu." I softly spoke. His features noticeably relaxed as I said his name.

"Are you alright? You seemed to be having a bad dream."

I sighed, "Nightmare is more like it." I sat up. I checked out my surroundings for the first time and I had no idea where I was. I was laying in a hammock, and it was surprisingly comfortable._ I might have to get one for myself. _The area around me was small but it felt homey. I noticed small piles of items here and there that had to be cleaned up.

"Um, quick question. Where am I?" I looked at Natsu and he had a small cute blush on his cheeks and scratched his head. It really was so adorable when he did that.

"This is mine and Happy's place."

I figured as much. This small space screamed Natsu. I moved aside and patted a spot on the hammock. Natsu sat beside me and the weight of the both of us forced us to touch our sides together. I blushed and looked away. I noticed that Miki was curled up on the floor sleeping. He is so adorable.

"So what was your nightmare about?" He asked slowly, not sure if it was right to ask me or not. Thinking about the nightmare, my head suddenly ached in pain, just like during the dream. _That's a bit odd._ Shaking off the pain the best I could, I told Natsu about the dream.

I watched him as I spoke, his features changed from anger to concern to anger again and by the end he tightly closed his eyes and then suddenly jumped off of the hammock. He then turned and faced me, got down on both knees and grasped both of my hands in his.

"Annabel," he started in a soothing, and almost, just almost a seductive voice which sent butterflies swarming in my stomach, and said with his eyes barring into my own, "I will protect you, know matter what." I tried to keep eye contact with him but my face was slowly growing redder by the second. I didn't want him to see me looking so embarrassed. Courageously, I looked back at him.

"Thank you, Natsu, for everything you've done for me already, even though we haven't known each other for very long." I smiled at him and his face brightened up in return. Natsu then reached up to my face, and with his thumb he gently wiped away the tears that had fallen during my slumber.

"I never want to see you cry again." I took in his comforting words. He really is amazing.

"What about happy tears?" I asked teasingly.

"Only those I will allow!" He smirked. His hand then cupped my left cheek. For some reason the intensity of our situation increased. I felt hot and unsure of what was going on. Though Natsu didn't even seem fazed. The pressure of his fingers on my neck increased and I felt him pulling me closer to him. My eyes widened, but only for a second.

I was happy. Happy that someone could care about me so much. I was also happy being with this person. He gave me hope that I didn't have to live in fear.

I didn't fight against the force of attraction that was there anymore, and began leaning in as well. Closer and closer our lips were slowly closing the distance to one another. I started to feel his warm breath on my face. We both closed our eyes, anticipating.

Then all of a sudden a certain blue cat burst through the door yelling his fur off. As our eyes both opened we realized the situation and quickly jumped apart from each other. We also faced away from another, each of us sporting bright red cheeks. _I can't believe we almost did that!_

"Natsu!" Happy yelled. A twinge of annoyance at the cat came over me a moment. _If he had just been a minute later, just so that I could have kissed him! _Miki jumped up from his sleep from the noise Happy made_._

Happy was shaking Natsu but he wasn't responding. He was probably settling his hormones. _Hehe, boys. _I stood up and walked over to Happy and picked him up.

"What's the matter Happy?" He jumped out of my grip and began flying in circles.

"It's crazy, the craziest thing!" Something major must have happened for Happy to be going this berserk. Natsu finally joined us. We glanced briefly at each other and smiled. At least it isn't awkward between us.

"Happy calm down, just tell us what's going on." I said. Happy then stopped flying around and floated.

"Okay, here's how it happened. A bar fight broke out at the guild as it usually does when all of a sudden Gray was flung by Erza, who was trying to stop the fight, and he landed on top of Lucy. And here's the big part. They were kissing!" The cat brought his paws to his mouth and giggled hysterically.

"But it was just an accident right?" I asked.

"Yeah, but they stayed like that for a while!" Happy said laughing. I looked at Natsu and he had a hand to his mouth, his cheeks obviously puffed out a bit and then broke into laughter as well.

"Gray, kiss Lucy?! Haha! That bastard must be so embarrassed." Natsu said gripping his stomach. Was it really that funny of a situation? I thought back to the moments that the two were together. Now that I think about it, Gray seemed overly concerned about Lucy when I had brought her to the guild.

"Is it really that funny?" I asked. Both Natsu and Happy came to stand in front of me.

Natsu gripped onto my shoulders, looked up to me and said, "It is funny."

"But from what I saw when I first met them, Gray seemed to really care for Lucy." I rubbed my chin.

"Well of course he cares, we all care." Natsu said.

"Yeah but he seemed to really care for her." I said emphasizing my point. Though it seemed not to make it to Natsu. Happy on the other hand completely understood.

"They liiiiiike each other." Happy said with a devilish smirk. Miki giggles as well.

"Really? I don't see it at all." Natsu said.

"Suit youself. Just don't be surprised when they get together." I said shrugging my shoulders, giving up on the topic.

"Well, whatever." Natsu also shrugged.

"Let's go to guild!" Happy said.

"Alright!" I said. I was excited to see everyone again. Happy and Miki headed outside before us. As I was just about to leave Natsu grabbed my arm and twirled me around and he planted his lips gently onto mine. My eyes popped open at the sudden impact. Before I could react he already separated.

"Wha-" I started, and fell onto empty words.

"I just had to know how it felt." He said quietly.

"A-and?" I was only managing one word sentences.

"It was nice." He looked away from me. I smiled and grabbed his hand. He looked at me in shock.

"Let's go to the guild." He nodded enthusiastically and we took off hand in hand.

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Don't worry, I don't plan on making this a Gray and Lucy fic also. I just wanted some convo :)

Please review :) no bashing though :(. Constructive is appreciated!


	9. Back Home

Sorry this chapter took so long to come out. I havent been feeling the greatest and had a bit of writers block. But I just have to see this one thru! Its also my birthday and I have not a thing on m agenda.

This chapter probably isn't going to be this exciting.

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Chapter Nine: Back Home

Since Natsu had taken me to his place because I was asleep from the train ride, we hadn't debreifed our job to master. When we had made it to the guild we acted like we normally would around everyone, hiding the fact that we kissed, and that the feelings we had seemed to be mutual. I headed to the bar wearing a big smile on my face. I wasn't going to hide the fact that I was happy. Although, Mira seemed to catch on to something. How she does it, I have no clue.

Miki had run off with Happy somewhere. Those two have really bonded.

"Annabel, you seem extra happy, has something good happened?" She asked with a sparkle in her eye. Now, I have to be careful here. Mira has the uncanny ability to see through anyone's bluff, and I was no exception.

"I'm just glad to be back with everyone after the job." I smiled at her. Well, that wasn't a lie. I was glad to be with everyone in Fairy Tail. They all had this special something.

Mira looked at me skeptically for a moment and then shrugged. I guess she didn't find it necessary to dig for anything juicy. Inwardly I sighed in relief. Phew.

"Hey Annabel!" Lucy said as she came up to sit beside me. Lucy and I have gotten along well since we met.

"Hey Lucy."

"How are you feeling, now that you and Natsu are back at the guild?"

"It has been nice to relax and be around everyone." I lightly smiled. I was still a bit shocked to realize that I was being targeted. _'I suppose I need to tell master about this.'_

"Great." Lucy started. "And maybe soon we can go on one together. Ive been dying to do a job and not lose all the reward money." She sighed and put her head in her hands.

"Haha, I guess I got off lucky this time." I stood up from the bar stool and said, "I need to find Natsu and talk to master about our job." I gave Lucy a small wave. She just gave me a huge grin and waved back. Lucy really was a nice person. I guess I have to thank her for tripping in the woods or else I would have never even thought about joining a guild.

I briefly scanned the guild looking for Natsu, which of course wasnt diffficult at all. He was making a fool of himself stricking ridiculous poses on top of the table. I face palmed. Only Natsu could do something like that and not be at all embarrased. I made my way to the group of people that were egging Natsu on. Gray was laughing his pants off, literally, and Elfman was going on about being a man. I stood there and watched. Everyone was like one big family. _Family, eh? _My eyes went downcast. Aside from Ember who had raised me, I have no idea about who my real parents are. Sometimes I feel the pain of abadonment. I sometimes think '_why did they leave me?' _But then I think about Ember and none of that really seems to matter.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and saw Natsu. He looked curious but showed more concern. "Are you alright?" He said gently and smoothly. It gave me slight goosebumps. I realized I must have looked upset thinking about my past. I shook my head.

"I was just thinking." I smiled for him assuring that I was alright.

He looked skeptical for a moment put didnt push for anything further. He really does know how to read me. Then I remembered why I came over here.

"Oh Natsu, we should really talk to master the job." '_He needs to know that someone is after me.'_

"Right!" Natsu grabbed my hand, which didnt go unnoticed by our friends and dragged me off. I blushed and continued on with him.

We found master in his offfice in the back of the guild. He seemed to be fretting over a large pile of paperwork. When we came in he threw it all in the air in a fit of anger. "Will these brats ever learn!?" Now I understand what all the paper is about. Master than made note of our presence.

"Ah, Natsu, Annabel. I have been meaning to talk to the two of you." He beckoned us to sit on the chairs that were infront of his desk. He faced away from us and began to talk. "Erza gave me a brief description of what she had witnessed, but it was your job so I would like to hear what had happened from the two of you."

Natsu and I looked at eachother and we slightly nodded.

I started. "The job stated that we needed to catch a few thieves that had been stealing from the costumers at the resort. So Natsu and I acted as wealthy customers to lure them out. But it seemed that money wasnt their only objective. I was captured and taken away. They beat me up a lot. I couldnt fight back because they blocked my magic. After a while the leader came to me and I found out what they wanted." I shuddered at the thought of it all, especially when thinking about that man. Master noticed my suttle change in emotion.

"And what did they want from you?" He asked. Natsu grabbed my hand giving me courage to continue on.

I took a deep breath and continued. "From what I understood they want to take my feathers." I paused. "But the thing is that I dont have any. These guys were the same group of people that killed my mother and took all of her feathers so they that could fufill their greedy desires." Tears threathened to fall but I gripped Natsu's hand tighter, knowing that just his presence alone gives me strength. I looked up at him and he gave me his signature smile. I couldnt help but smile back.

"I see." The master said. I looked at him and his face was contorted with anger. "To have picked at fight with you they have picked a fight with Fairy Tail. I will not let this slide."

Suddenly, Natsu bounded out of his seat. "Gramps! Leave it to me to protect Annabel." He slammed his fist on the desk. "I wont let them lay a finger on her again." Natsu gave master a serious look.

Master then sighed letting his anger subside to a certain degree. "Very well. I will leave this in your hands. Do whatever you can to ensure her safety."

"I will." Natsu raised his fist to his chest, looking very determined. I smiled lightly looking up at him. His back was strong and he stood proud. '_My hero, huh?_' I giggled at the thought and Natsu turned around to see what I was laughing at. Master then spoke.

"Now then," He picked up a mug that was on his desk and sloshed it around. "Let's have a welcome back party! Haha!" He took a large and very messy gulp of his booze and raised it in the air.

I laughed even louder. This place was definetly my new home.

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Sorry if this chapter wasn't that exciting, but i had a few points for my plot that i needed to establish. Please review!


	10. Dance!

Chapter Ten: Dance!

Now that was a party.

After talking with the master, the guild was transformed into a chaotic, but incredibly fun party. I think master will use any excuse to through one. But hey, why not?

Drinks were being passed around, and Gajeel and Mira were trading off singing on stage. Guild members paired off and danced together. Poor Gray, he was being dragged around by Juvia. Off to the side you could see Lucy laughing at the scene. I wonder how long that love triangle is going to last. Knowning Juvia, she isnt going to give up against her greatest love rival, Lucy. '_Love, huh._' I blushed thinking about my own situation. Natsu had kissed me earlier. It was brief and caught me off guard, but I have to say that I didnt see anything wrong with it. I actually quite enjoyed it, too bad it was so short. Wait a second, so I want to kiss Natsu!? Ahh, he's the first guy that I've had such feelings for and I'm getting so confused. '_I dont understand how these things work?' _

I gave an exasperated sigh. Let's sort this out: One, I like Natsu. Two, I'm pretty sure he likes me too. Three, neither of us have confessed our feelings for one another and four, I like kissing him! Ahh, I'm so embarrassed! But what do I do? Who normally confesses first, the girl or the guy?

I looked back on the dance floor. Watching the love triangle, I know that Juvia has confessed to Gray many times. But I have the feeling that her love is a bit off track from the norm. I saw Al and Biska. It has been made completely obvious to everyone that they like each other but they cant see it themselves.

I shook my head, _'I just dont know what to do_.' I have read a lot of romance novels on my journy's and I always enjoyed when the man confessed in romantic ways. I always hoped that the guy I like would confess to me in those sorts of ways. I looked at Natsu across the room. Once again he was dancing around in a ridiculoius manor drawing a small crowd. Maybe I'm putting to much of an excpectation on him. But I want to at least see how things fold out for us. If he doesnt confess within a decent time span then maybe I will. But I feel that I dont have the courage to confess. Ahhh! Well maybe I should stop thinking about those things and enjoy the rest of the party. I also wonder where Miki went, I haven't seen him in a while. Im sure he is fine.

I walked onto the dance floor and music was being played by a DJ. The tempo was upbeat and and people were jumping up and down to the beat. I decided to join in and let the music consume me. I always loved dancing and swaying to the songs. I closed my eyes, relishing in the sounds. Then behind me I felt a presence. I didn't move away thinking that it was Natsu and kept on swaying. The music started to pick up and the atmosphere got a bit intense. Couples started grinding and seductively moving. '_They sure have courage._' Maybe Natsu and I could do that.

What took a lot of guys, and what I might say was completely unexpected of me I started to grind against Natsu. For a moment he didnt do anything but then he grabbed my hips and joined in. I was slightly embarrassed about what we were doing. It was out of character for me but I was happy that I was with Natsu.

All of a sudden his hands started travelling my body, and I was getting uncomfortable. I didnt think Natsu was the kind of guy to go so fast.

Just as I was about to turn around to stop what we were doing, I fiery fist came and smacked the guy, whom I had assumed this whole time was Natsu. The guy was flung across the guild and wasnt given a second look for me. Natsu looked off in his direction with an anger stricken face.

My hands went to my face in horror and tears brimmed my eyes. I had thought that whole time I was dancing Natsu! Natsu turned to look at me and only made a 'Tch' sound. I had hurt him. I didnt mean to! Natsu stalked off.

Dammit! What have I done? But it wasnt my fault right? I only did what I had because I thought it was him. But from his point of view that wasn't what he was seeing. I need to go after him and explain what was going on. Wiping my nose and eyes I ran off to where Natsu had gone.

Thankfully, he didnt go far. He was sitting on the balcony his legs hanging over the edge. I slowly approached him, hoping that my presence wasnt going to agitate him. He saw me out of the corner of his eye and then looked straight again and huffed. He was upset.

"Natsu." I said standing off to his right."I need to explain what happened."

"What's there to say? You were enjoying your time dancing seductively with some random guy." He then stood up and turned away from me.

"But you have to understand-."

"There's nothing to get Annabel." He then started to walk off. Tears were now falling down my face, but I wasn't going to give up. I ran up to him and grabbed his collar and spun him around and planted my lips on his. I closed my eyes and tears still continued to fall. '_Please don't hate me, anyone but you.'_

Unknowingly to me Natsu had his eyes wide open in shock. That was the last thing that he was expecting to happen after what he has seen.

I then ended the kiss, still holding onto Natsu's shirt, afraid to let go.

"Please don't say anything until I am done." I looked at him pleadingly. He just nodded, but was also a bit shocked still. "When I was dancing and noticed someone behind me I thought it was you." Natsu looked slightly apprehensive. "I started to dance the way I did because I thought it was you and that maybe we had something. But the guy started to get to touchy and I had second thoughts about it being you, and well, then you interrupted and I was horrified. The last thing I want to do is make you upset Natsu, so you have to believe me." I probably look totally pathetic right now. Tears were falling and I could feeling that my nose was starting to drip, how embarrassing.

Natsu closed his eyes. He grabbed my hand that was still clinging to his shirt and tightly held it. He then looked up at me. "I'm sorry." He started. "I jumped to conclusions. I was just so upset to see you dancing like that with some guy. I guess I was kind of jealous too." I hiccuped and rubbed my eyes.

"It's okay. It's my fault for not checking to see who was behind me." I smiled for him accepting his apology. Natsu then pulled me into a tight hug. I welcomed his hug completely and hugged back. We stayed there for a while enjoying eachothers closeness and touch.

Just then were heard a muffled cough. Gramps along with a bunch of other people were standing at the balcony's entrance looking at us. I quickly jumped out of Natsu's arm, much to his annoyance.

Gramps began to talk slurring his words. "Get inshide you brats! T-The party '_hiccup_' is jusht getting shtarted!" He was obviously drunk. I looked at Natsu and just laughed. He smiled as well and we walked back into the guild.

Once inside I took in the scene. Tables and chairs were overturned and small scuffles were happening all around. Natsu then got excited noticing Gray, who was obviously drunk was picking a fight with Freed, who was equally drunk. "Gray! Fight me! We will settle this once and for all!"

Natsu ran off and and joined in the fight. I sat down once again at a table that was thankfully upright and watched. Fairy Tail is a crazy place, full of just as crazy people.

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I hope you enjoyed the chapter, no action really, but some lovey-dovey moments! Please review! We shall get some action soon, just have to build up to it!


	11. Search & Party

Hey guys! I am very happy about this chapter and it is the longest one to-date. Please tell me what you think :)

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**Chapter Eleven: Search & Party**

All of my muscles ached. Why do they hurt so much? I yawned and stretched and found myself lying on the floor in the guild hall. I must have passed out here last night from all the excitement. As I sat up I checked around me. I noticed several piles of people that had passed out while fighting. Some other members, like Gray and Erza had already left it would seem. Next to me was Natsu, who was snoring and had a small smile on his face. 'He sure is cute when he sleeps.' I ruffled his hair and he just murmured.

"I wouldn't get too close." A voice said. I turned around and saw Lucy. She was rubbing her eyes, obviously sleep deprived. I gave her a curious look and she explained. "I once heard him talking in his sleep and the next thing I knew, he hit me with his fire dragon fist straight in the face and sent me flying." Lucy absentmindedly rubbed her jaw as if she was reliving the pain. I only laughed lightly thinking that was something Natsu would do.

"Anyways, I'm going home to get more sleep. Take care." Lucy yawned and waved goodbye. Maybe I should get home too, I am in desperate need of a bath. I stood up and gave my body another stretch. Just as I was about to take a step to leave, a hand grasped my ankle. I looked down and saw that Natsu had grasped me in his sleep. This guy is something special. I bent down grabbing his hand and tried to release his grip he had around my ankle. However, he had a death grip on it. Well, I don't want to wake him, but I also don't want to stay like this.

I guess I have no other option. I made a fire chicken leg and waved it in front of his nose. To normal people fire doesn't have much of a smell, but to those you eat in on a regular basis know that it has an almost sweet and burnt smell.

And wouldn't you know it Natsu began to stir and drool. His eyes slowly opened and his eyelids opened and closed drearily. He then saw the fire chicken in front of him, and sat up in a second and scarfed the whole thing down in one slurp. Natsu patted his stomach and looked at me. "Thanks for the meal."

"You're very welcome, now for my reward." I said. Natsu had a curious look on his face and I just pointed down to my ankle that he still held. He followed my finger and saw that he had his grip and me and quickly released his hand. Once he let go I rubbed my ankle. It tingled from not getting blood flow.

I stood up and gave my back another stretch. "Now then." I started. "I need a bath."

"You going to your place?" Natsu asked.

"Mhmm, I haven't been there yet since yesterday was the move in date." I looked to the side and scratched my head and quietly said to myself, "I haven't bathed since I was at Akane Resort Ick."

"Well I'm coming with you!" He said gleefully.

"What?! Why?" Just when I thought I was going to get a little bit of privacy.

"I am your protector of course!" His fist flew to his chest. '_He was really going to take this seriously huh?' _"Plus, I have to make sure no perverts can get into your place." He made shifty eyes. Then I recalled a conversation I had with Lucy, it was something about how Team Natsu was always showing up in her apartment by sneaking in through the window, or chimney. _'I am going to have to 'sneak proof' my place._' The last thing I wanted was for Natsu or Gray to walk in on me in the bathroom. Lucy told me she cant count on her fingers how many times that has happened to her.

I only sighed, finding no way to deter him from coming with me. I beckoned him to follow, but then I remembered that I haven't seen my little fox in a while. '_Where could the little guy be_?' Was he with Happy by any chance?

"Hey Natsu, have you seen Miki or Happy anywhere?" I said as I stepped over guild members who were scattered all over the floor.

"Ehh, now that you mention it, I haven't seen Happy in a while." Natsu then sniffed the air and to see if he could tell where they might be. "Well, from what I can tell they haven't been in the guild for a while. I wonder where they went?"

A pang of worry shot through me. Miki doesn't know Magnolia very well and could easily get lost. He has just a good sense of direction as I do. Natsu seemed to have sensed my even small amount of distress and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry. We will find them. And I'm sure Happy wouldn't have left him on his own." Then he muttered, "At least I hope not." My faith in Happy was slowly but surely diminishing.

"Well there's no point in staying here, let's go!" Natsu said and marched onward. Well if Natsu wasn't that concerned then I guess I shouldn't worry myself too much. With any bad thoughts set aside, I went out the guild with Natsu.

Natsu kind of reminds me of a dog. They way he gets on all fours and sniffs the ground. And in the middle of the street no less. I covered my red face with my hands, embarrassed for the dragon slayer that seemed not fazed at all. Does he even have a shred of humility? I highly doubt it. He also climbed on the side of building, or got on the roof to see if he could get a better smell. I just acted as though I didn't know him.

He then jumped down in front of me grabbed a hand and took off in a sprint.

"W-wait Natsu?!" I was caught off guard by his forwardness.

"I can smell them. They are in this direction!" He smiled at me.

"Alright!" I grabbed his hand as well and ran along side him.

When we finally stopped we were standing in front of a simple two apartment building. To clarify, my apartment building. I ran my hand through my long silver head. Why didn't I think of coming here first? Miki must have been waiting for me all this time. I lightly whacked the side of my head because of my own stupidity.

"Where are we?" Natsu asked looking around the unfamiliar area. I was located on the east side of magnolia, I think. Whereas the guild was on the northern side by the water.

"My place." I said gruffly, still peeved at myself. I looked at Natsu and his eyes lite up and he looked everywhere as if trying to burn the location in his mind.

"Well, we may as well head inside."

I walked up to the top level, found my keys and unlocked the door. The next thing that happened was not what I was expecting. A loud crack and confetti flew in my face. Natsu jumped back in shock.

"Surprise!" After wiping my eyes I saw familiar smiling faces. What were they doing here?

"Eh hi?" Was all I said, still sightly dumbfounded. Then I saw Miki race up towards me and leap into my arms.

"Annabel, don't tell me you don't know what day it is?" I looked at the fox curiously. Then I looked at my apartment that was adorned with decorations. Several of them said 'Happy Birthday' or 'Congrats'. '_Ahh, I see now.' _

"So today is July 6th," I paused thinking back to when I had last looked at a calendar and no date came to mind. "Hehe, already?" I was slightly embarrassed, I mean, who forgets their own birthday. But I guess I was an anomaly.

"Geez, Annabel, you forget every year without fail. I knew this year wouldn't be any different so I decided to give you a surprise party." I ruffled his fur.

"Awe, thank you! How did you get this ready so fast?"

"I had help from Happy you enlisted the help from our friends." Miki said pointing at everyone.

I saw Erza, Gray, Juvia, Lucy, Wendy, Carla and many others.

"Thank you guys!" I squeezed Miki happily.

Natsu then stepped forward and stalked towards Happy.

"Oi, Happy, how come I had no idea about this?" Oh, boy he seemed a bit peeved.

Happy simply shrugged. "None of us thought you could keep a secret like this from her so we didn't tell you." He said it much to nonchalantly.

"What did you say?" Natsu said, smoke fuming out his ears.

Gray then spoke up. "You cant keep a simple secret, bastard." He said sharply. It seemed like he wanted to start a fight.

"Teme!" Natsu went to leap at Gray but was abruptly halted by Erza's metal fist.

"Natsu!" Erza said sternly and Natsu jumped back, looking slightly terrified. Even I took a step back, she was quite intimidating. "It's Annabel's birthday so don't go and make a mess of it." I couldn't help but smile at the way Erza slightly moved protectively in front of the strawberry birthday cake, as if it was going to be smushed.

After getting all settled in, the birthday celebrations began. We enjoyed cake and I opened the gifts everyone had gotten me.

Erza gave me a simple dagger and explained it was important to have a backup incase you run out of magic. Gray gave me an ice figure of the guild symbol saying that it would never melt. Lucy had given me a book and a fluffy trinket to put on my keychain. She said she would've liked to take me shopping, but she shook her head saying she was low on funds and that she promised to go out soon. I thanked her anyways. It didn't matter if I didn't get gifts. It's just the thought that counts and the fact that they want to spend the time me together. Happy of course gave me a fish stating that it was somehow special. I patted his head in thanks. Miki strolled up to me holding a box in his mouth. Inside was a beautiful purple ribbon.

"I remember you sometimes complain about your hair getting in your face while your flying, so I thought that this might help." He looked unsure if it was a good enough gift.

I picked him up and held him close. "I love it." I kissed his nose. He simply blushed and then jumped out of my arms and rejoined Happy. After receiving the rest of the gifts I thanked everyone. As it had gotten dark people began to leave. Once again I thanked them for doing this for me. Miki said that he wanted to have a sleepover with Happy and that he would see me tomorrow. I waved my hand and told him to have fun and to not get into too much trouble, I directed a look at Happy as well and he just brushed me off. '_That stubborn little cat.'_

I closed the door and then relaxed on the couch. The place was already furnished so I didn't have to buy all new things. I noticed that Natsu was still here. I wonder if he is still upset about not knowing it was my birthday. He was sitting at the dinner table looking at the half eaten cake that had once read 'Happy Birthday Annabel'. I sat next to him hoping to draw him attention. He merely just stared at the cake.

After a few minutes of silence he finally spoke up. "I'm sorry." Great, he was upset.

"Natsu, there's nothing to be sorry for. Happy was just being Happy and didn't tell you anything. And before you say anything I don't care that I didn't get a present from you. The only thing I care about is that you are happy for me and are there for me. I couldn't ask for a better gift than that." I lightly placed my hand atop his and then he looked into my eyes. Slowly he began to gain his composure.

"Alright." Then he grasped my hand. "But I still want to get you something so you better not complain!" I only nodded happily. "Now then, I better check out the place to make sure that Gray isn't able to sneak in." He began prancing around checking all the nooks and crannies. I shook my head. _'I highly doubt he was going to sneak into my place, but rather a certain Celestial Mages'._

After throughly checking the place he deemed it fit enough, and that only he would be able to figure out how to get in and out of here. How it would do it, beats me.

Now that I think about it this would be my first time sleeping in this place. Call me childish but I really don't like sleeping in new places, especially if I was alone. And knowing that Miki wasn't going to be here made me all the more nervous. I began pacing back and forth. I shouldn't be nervous, I am a capable fighter and plenty able to defend myself if a simple thief breaks in.

"What the matter Annabel?" Natsu caught me off guard.

"Promise not to laugh?" I didn't really want to tell him that I hated sleeping alone but I think he will pester me until he gets what he wants. Natsu just nodded and shot out his pinky.

"I pinky promise." He gave me huge grin again. I just swatted his hand playfully and sat on the couch.

"I just don't like sleeping alone. Miki is with Happy and I haven't slept here before." I looked away from him, embarrassed for myself. Natsu came over and jumped on the couch beside me.

"Well then why don't I stay here?" I blushed. He really doesn't have any humility. But then again, I would rather it be him than someone else. Maybe Lucy or Erza, but the thought of Erza was even pushing it

"I guess so." I said trying not to show him that I was slightly eager to have him stay here.

"Alright! Ill take the couch than." He said laying down on it. I got up so that he could stretch his legs out.

"My place does have two bedroom you know?"

"Ya but here I am closer to your room."

Well he thinks of everything doesn't he?

"Alright, well I'm off to bed. Goodnight." I was only able to take two steps when Natsu grabbed my hand. I slowly turned and faced him and he gently brought his lips to mine. We stayed like that for awhile. He then held me tight making the kiss more deep. I began to blush more at our actions but I was enjoying it.

We slowly separated and looked each other in the eyes. "Goodnight." He said to me in a husky, slightly out of breath voice. It sent shivers up my spine and I stuttered.

"G-goodnight." I then beelined it to my room and closed my door quickly. I could hear a faint chuckle in the the other room.

Now that was a birthday.

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I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please review or juts leave a nice comment! Thanks!


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